Monday, February 23, 2015

CEOrt members cast top executives for lack of commitment

Members of CEO
Roundtable (CEOrt) of Tanzania have expressed their grave concern over major
challenges facing Tanzania in the key economic sectors which are critical for
national development. They said the persisting challenges are largely caused due
to lack of commitment and seriousness by some top most national executives who
are not innovative enough to ensure high productivity in various sectors they
stand for. The CEOrt members made the observation in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday
night this week during the first members’ monthly dinner meeting of the year
2015 which was held at Hyatt Regency Kilimanjaro Hotel in Dar es Salaam. CEO
Chairman Ali Mufuruki who is also founder of Infotech Investment Group on
Tanzania said that, the challenges are many and alarming such as low education
levels, lack of access to reliable energy and powering industries, inefficient
transport and logistics infrastructure to encourage trade. Others he mentioned
are inadequate technological advancements for maximizing agricultural
production, and most importantly the depletion of country’s cast most precious
resources at the hands of corrupt senior officials. The meeting had a
discussion under the theme, “Africa is
not rising, Africans are not changing”, whose focus highlighted ideas which
ironically looked at whether Africa continent is rising and making progresses
in terms of social and economic development. According to Mufuruki, citizens of
most African countries including Tanzania are faced with a myriad of social and
economic problems due to a number of reasons, the basic one is incompetence
caused as a result of poor leadership codes which is full of corruption. “The
sabotage of African economies by Africans is on the rise, be it through direct
theft, corruption or the wars that never seen to end”, he said adding that the
capacity to destroy treasures and manpower is growing faster than the capacity
to build them.

CEO
Chairman Ali Mufuruki

He noted that, in order
to remedy the situation, the private sector need to be empowered by governments
in order to ward off unemployment problems facing young graduates who are
increasing year after year in most countries across Africa. In the case of
Tanzania he noted that, there cannot be progresses made despite the fact that
the country boasts of gradual economic growth, if the issue of unemployment is
not solved. He said although Tanzania has made a great stride for the economic
growth rate which currently stands at 6 percent, this is not enough to cater
for the need of citizens and however, he presumed that, this rate should have
been doubled at a much faster pace by end of 2025. He suggested that, private
sectors have to help challenge the problem to curb with the increased
unemployment rate and the government help fight corruption which continues to
haunt the lives of most poor Tanzanians. On his part a representative of the
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to the meeting, Abdalah Said Shah said that, Tanzania cannot
develop if the top executives are wrecking own economy through corruption,
theft and other forms of sabotage. Shah is dismayed by the conduct of some
executives saying that Tanzania and Africa in general cannot rise if the
environment and biodiversity that sustains life are dying in own hands. He is on the view of the fact that, people
need to work with trust in order to protect own wealth for the betterment of the
citizens and the nation at large. Founded in 2000, the CEOst is a policy
dialogue forum with the main objective of creation a platform through which
captains of industry can constructively engage the government with the vision
of creating a more conducive environment for businesses to prosper and
contribute to Tanzania’s economic growth. The forum brings together over 100
organizations doing business in Tanzania which lead account for more than 40
percent of the tax revenue collected by the government.

AWARD 1

I won the second prize in policy category of the African Information society Initiative ( AISI) awards 2004 which is annually organized by the United Nations- Economic Commission for Africa ( UNECA) based in Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia. On the first photo above standing with other awardees after the Ceremony at the National Settlers monument in Grahamstown, South Africa.This was during the 8th Highway Africa Conference.The second photo shows the cross section of Jounalists from different African countries who attended the ceremony.

AWARD 2

I also won the AISI-GKP/SDC Media Award special reporting on WSIS process and Africa, and conferred with the award in Tunis, Tunisia during WSIS summit in 2005. See the photo above.

AWARD 3

Winner on the Media Competition on writing about " Stigma denial and Discrimination" associated with HIV/AIDS. This was organized by theAssociation of Journalists Against Aids in Tanzania ( AJAAT). On the Photo above President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete of Tanzania, ( then the Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation) was the guest of honour during the award giving ceremony.This was at Maelezo auditorium in Dar-es-Salaam September 2005.

AWARD 4

Winner on the Media Competition on writing about "Vulnerable Children" associated with HIV/AIDS This was organized by the Association of Journalists Against Aids in Tanzania ( AJAAT)

AWARD 5

Winner of the National ICT Media Award organized By SWOPNET in the Country. On the photo above Morogoro Regional Commissioner, Brigadier General ( Rt) Saidi Kalembo was the guest of honour during the award giving ceremony which was held at New Sarvoy Hotel in morogoro town.I was awarded a Mobile phone and a tape-recorder.

AWARD 6

I participated in the Media Competition in writing about VCT (Voluntary Counseling and Testing) in Tanzania which was held between July 15th and October 30th 2008 whereby I emerged among the top five winners. The competition was under the program known as “Tanzania bila Ukwimwi inawezekana” which literally means, Tanzania without AIDS disease transmission is possible”. This is a program which was organizedby the Association of Journalists Against AIDS in Tanzania (AJAAT) under TACAIDS funding. In the photo, I am being presented with a certificate of participation by the Chairman of the Tanzania Commission for AIDS (TACAIDS) Dr. Fatma Mrisho in a colorful ceremony which was held on 22nd December 2008 at Tanzania Information Centre in Dar es Salaam.

AWARD 7

AWARD 8

AWARD 9

I was among the top 17 best selected students who excelled in their final examinations of the 2010/2011 academic year and awarded with the Vice-Chancellor’s prize. I scored 4.5 GPA (First Class) in BA in Journalism. Above I am being given a certificate by the Chairman of the Open University of Tanzania Board of Senate. Standing at the centre facing camera is the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tolly Mbwette. Extreme left partly hidden is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Professor Elifas Bisanda. This occasion took place during the convocation meeting, a day before the graduation day at the prospective permanent headquarter of the Open University of Tanzania which is currently under construction at Bungo-Kibaha in Coast region 40 kilometers away west of Dar es Salaam city.